Tie puller



Feb. 9, 1937. E. c. NEAL 2,069,770

TIE FULLER I Filed Dec. 11, 1934 I 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 A TTO EYS.

E. C. NEAL TIE FULLER Feb. 9, 1937.

5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 11, 1934 INVEN TOR. Z'P/YEJI-C Ale/9 W ATTO 'E/YS.

E. C. NEAL TIE FULLER Feb. 9, 1937.

Filed Dec. 11, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. f/vfxz-C/wz W M ATT NEYS.

Patented Feb. 9, 1937 UNITED stares I t? A T N? GFFHQE 9 Claims.

The invention has for its primary purpose and object the removing of ties from placement in railway track.

The tie through the use of. my new and improved device may be removed from the ballast with a minimum of disturbance to the ballast disposed adjacent to the tie.

The invention is comprised primarily of a frame that may be secured to the rail and the device is preferably placed between the end of the tie and the outside of the rail. Means is provided for engaging the base of the device with the rail and means is provided for effecting frictional driving relation between the device and the top of the tie or between the device and the sides of the tie. After frictional contact has been effected with the tie the toothed cylinders that engage the surfaces of the tie are then rotated by the movement of a lever in either direction to thereby create longitudinal movement of the tie and to pull the same from placement beneath the rails.

The object of my invention is to facilitate the removal of the tie from placement in a railway track with a minimum of disturbance to they ballast of the railway roadbed.

A further object of my invention consists in providing a simple means for the removal of the tie and to provide a device that may be utilized for this purpose by a single workman.

A still further object of my invention consists in so constructing the same that it will be comprised of a minimum number of parts and one that may be ruggedly made and one that will have a long and useful life with practical freedom from mechanical operating annoyances.

With these and incidental objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combination of parts. the essential elements of which are set forth in the appended claims, and a preferred form of embodiment of which is hereinafter shown with reference to the drawings which accompany and form a part of this specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective end view of a simplified embodiment of my device. In this view the rolls engage the top of the tie to be removed.

Fig. 2 is a side view of a modified form of the device. In this view the feed rollers are also adapted to engage the top of the tie.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the mechanism illus trated in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional end view of. the feeding pawls and ratchet wheels employed in the species disclosed in Figs. 1 and 2. This view is taken on line l-A of Fig. 3, looking in the direction indicated.

Fig. 5 is an end view partly in section of a modified form of device. The device as illustrated here has feed rollers that engage the sides of the tie to be removed.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the mechanism illustrated in Fig. 5.

Like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

I-leretofore it has been the general custom, in the removal of the ties, to remove the ballast adjacent the tie both at the sides and at the bottom and to then replace the tie to be taken out, with another tie, which required the replacing of the ballast and the reballasting and the retamping of. the road bed at the point where the tie was taken out. This necessitated a retamping from time to time to compensate for the. compression that normally occurs upon road beds caused by trains passing along the track.

Through the use of my new and improved device the tie is pulled from place without disturbing the ballast adjacent the sides and at the bottom of the tie. taken out with another with a minimum of disturbance of the ballast adjacent the tie.

My device is primarily comprised in its simplest embodiment of side plates l and 2. The side plates at the rail abutting ends have slits disposed therein that are positioned to engage the outer edge 3 of the base of the rail 4. A pair of arms 5 and 6 are hingedly secured to the side plates by any suitable hinging pins 1. The arms are secured together by a cross bar 8 and This permits replacing the tie the side frame members are secured in spaced relation on their rail engaging ends by a cross plate Q (Fig. 3-). The rail engaging ends of the arms are fashioned to precisely fit and engage, the outer edge and the underside of the ball I!) of the rail. A tight working relation between the arms, the side frame members and the rail may be maintained by a tightening bolt II that 'passes through the cross bar 8 threadedly and engages the base of the rail at E2 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. By tightening the bolt I l against the base of the rail it serves to press the arms 5, 6, firmly against the underside of the ball ll! of the rail. A cross shaft i3 is journaled upon its opposite ends in the side plates I and 2 and cylinders l4 and i5 are keyed to the shaft [3. Each of the cylinders has sharpened teeth disposed about its periphery to facilitate the frictional engagement of the cylinders with the top surface l6 40 A slightly modified form of device maybe made asoillu'strated in Figs. 2 and. 3.

g the side plates I and 2 are made to pass beneath .of the tie ll. Locator plates [Sand (9 are disposed at the oppositely disposed sides of the side plates l andiz. t V v When the device has been precisely positioned upon th'e rail and the toothed cylinders are restf ing upon the tie the locator plates I8, and I9 are driven into the end of the tie with the fastening rivets and 2| moving longitudinally of the side'plat'es I and 2 in the slotsi22-disposed within;

" inwardly extending sharpened ends 23 and 24 of:

the plates J8 and I9 into the end edge f the ofothe tie.

the side'plat'es'l and 2'. This driving forces the tie. ,'As the tie is removed by the action of the toothedcylinder, the locatorplates will be forcedback to the outer end of' the slots 22 and then will cut their'way longitudinally along the edge =The shaft I3 moves in anarcuate slot 25 disposedin the'respectiv'e side plates l and 2 and the shaft extends outwardlyfrom the outer sur- .face of the side plates! and ,2. lLugs and 21' (Fig. 13) extend {outwardly from the top of the' side plates I and 2 and a tapering wedge 10 may then be driven betweenthe outwardly extending ends of .the'shaft l3 and beneath the lugs 26 and r 21 to thereby force-contactbetween the sharpened teeth of the cylindersfl4 and l5 and 'thetop 1 surface of the tie. a a

' .Aratchet wheel 28' is disposedbetween the cyliiinders l4 and I5 mounted upon the shaft 13 and the sameis also keyed'to the shaft l3 byga key 29; the shaft 'l3 being common also to the cylin- .trated in Fig.2, the cams 31 and 38 which are dersjl4 and I5. Anactuating lever is rock ably-'mountedupon a shaft 3|. The shaft 3| is 'journaled 'uponits opposite ends within'the respective sidelplates land 2. Ratchet pawls 32 and 33 are secured to the lever30 and engage the teethof the ratchet wheel 28 to thereby actuate the toothed cylinders as the lever 30 is manuallymanipulated in either direction.

When so made the base 34 of the rail." An upwardly extending toe 35 is made to engage the inner'edge 36'of the base of the rail. When placed in position asillushingedcto-the respective sideplates 'by suitable journal pins39'and 40 havefcam surfaces4 l that engage the opposite edge of the base'of' the rail. This precisely locates the assembly upon' the rail which maythen be tightened by the threaded member ll." 1 o a r I To facilitate the loosening of the cam relativef to that of the baseof the rail a'lug 42 outwardly extends'from each of the cams 31 and 38 beneath owhich any suitable bar orcprying means maybe placed to loosen the'carnfrom the rail; '1

It may ber found desirable to make a modified form of device as illustrated in Fig. 5 so that the cylinders 43 and 44 are made to engagethe opposite sides 45 and 46 'of the tie 41 that is to be removed.v 'The cylinder 44 is fixedly disposed uponshaft 48 and thegear 49 is secured to the top end of the shaft '48.. A shaft 50 is journaled in suitable bearings in thejtop'side of th'e su'pporting frame Si and a driving element 52 is secured to the shaft 50 and coacts with the;

A ,gear 49. A, sub-frame '53 coactsrwith the frame 5| and the toothed cylinder is fixedly secured to a shaft 54 that is journaled relative to the sub- I frame and a gear 5 5 is secured to the top end of the shaft 54 A'driving element 56 'coactswith the gear 55;and drives the same. 'The driving element' is mounted upon a shaft-51 and the shaft guide 63. V V the shaft 56 and the respective pawls 66 are manipulated by a lever 65 and the ratchet wheel as-o 1,

7 5! is moveable telescopically of the hub 58. A V

bracket 59 upwardly extends from the primary frame 5! and a similar bracket 60 upwardly extends from the sub-frame assembly. "The-brackets-59 and 60 are spaced apart sufficiently to permit a reaction means 6| being placed therebetween to urge thecylinders 43 and 44 toward each other and to force intimate engagement of .the same with the tie 41. Working relationshipi is maintained between the'respective sub-frame and primary frame by afhorizontal portion/62 of the subkframe moving within any suitable A ratchet wheel 64 ismounted upon sociated therewith asheretofore described.

While the form of mechanism herein shown and described is admirably adapted to fulfill the objects-primarilystated, it is tobe understood I that it is not intended to' confine the invention 2' to the embodiment herein shown and described,

' as it is susceptible of embodiment in various" forms, all coming within thei scope .of the claims whichfollow, i v

'I claimf,

1. In a device of the class described, the corn-g bination of a pair of side plates securedlin' spaced 1 relation by a cross plate, said side plates-'- being shaped at one end to engage the bottom outside edge of the base of' a' railway rail, arms hin'g'edly 1 secured on their one end, to the side plates and fashioned at their opposite end to engage the ball of the railway rail, adjustable means for ing the cylinders. a a V r 7 7 2. In adevice of the class'described, the combination ofa frame, means for attaching the frame to a railway rail, a corrugated roller adjustably journaled within the frame, "means for attaching'the frame to the sides of arailway tie,

meansfor forcibly engaging theroller with thet top surface of therailway tie that is engaged by the frame, and means for rotating the roller." 3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a puller frame; means for fixedly'at taching one end of the puller frame .to a railway rail, means for securing the opposite end the rail, a pulling roller adjustably journaled within the frame, means for forcing engagement forcibly rotating the pulling roller. r

4. In a device of the class described, in com,- bination with a railway rail that is disposed in a railway track, comprising a puller frame, means for fixedly securing one end of the frame to arailway rail, means for attaching the frame to a railway tie, disposed beneath the railway t 551 V of the-frame to a railway tie disposed beneath of the pulling roller with the tie and means for (60 rail, a corrugated pulling roller adjustably jour-' naled within the frame, means for forcibly engaging the roller with the top of the railway tie to which the frame is engaged and manipulative means for rotating the pullingrollen 5. In a device of the class described, in com- 7 bination with a railway rail and tie, comprising a frame, means for fixedly securing the frame to? the rail, means for securing the frame to the tie,

a pulling roller adjustably journaled within the frame, means for establishing pulling relation between the tie and the roller-and means for rotating the roller.

6. A tie puller comprising a toothed roller adapted to engage and dig into the upper surface of a tie, means including a wedge for forcing engagement of the roller with the tie, and means including a ratchet wheel for bringing the teeth successively into engagement with the tie.

7. A tie puller comprising a pair of alined rollers provided with teeth adapted to engage and dig into the upper surface of a tie, and clamping means for forcing engagement of the roller with the tie, and ratchet mechanism mounted between said rollers for operating said rollers and thereby move the tie.

8. A tie puller comprising a plurality of rollers for frictionally engaging opposite sides of a tie, means for forcing intimate engagement of the rollers with the tie, and a ratchet mechanism including bevel gears operatively connected to each of said rollers for operating the rollers and to thereby move the tie.

9. A tie puller comprising a frame having toothed means comprising a plurality of teeth adapted to engage and dig into the upper surface of the tie, means for bringing the teeth of said means successively into engagement with the tie, means adapted for mounting the puller with respect to the tie, and means to prevent relative vertical movement of the puller with respect to the tie to prevent. the puller from disengaging the tie during operation of the puller.

ERNEST C. NEAL. 

